Several Iranian diplomats have been expelled from the US in the past six months, according to a State Department official.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis
“We can confirm that the United States delivered a Note Verbale on December 4 regarding the status of certain Iranian personnel at the UN,” the official said. “For privacy and security reasons, we do not comment on the specifics of diplomatic personnel actions.”
“This action occurred well before the protests in Iran and is unrelated to those events,” the official added.
Iran’s deputy ambassador Saadat Aghajani was told to depart in December and two other members of the Iranian Mission to the UN were asked to leave the country two months before, Axios reported Friday.
The Iranian deputy ambassador was removed under what’s known as “section 13 procedures,” which allows for their removal for national security reasons or alleged espionage efforts against the US.
Aghajani’s children were also later forced to exit.
State Department reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Diplomats from Tehran have been limited in their movements outside the mission to within a 25 mile radius of the UN building in midtown Manhattan.
